One of a Kind
by Bellamy - Axolotl of the Light
Summary: Just a fourshot on how anime-Brendan got each of his Pokemon...
1. Mudkip

**EDIT 22.07.2016: Note: This chapter takes place between the events of the first episode of the Ruby and Sapphire series of the anime.**

 **-Mudkip-**

Brendan woke up and prepared for the day early. He had waited a long time for this particular day. He had turned ten years old three weeks earlier, but new Trainers in Hoenn received their official first Pokémon on the first day of the following month. This time was his turn.

A close friend of his that he'd met a few times in his childhood was apparently getting her first Pokémon today as well. Okay, well they weren't the _closest_ of friends, but their fathers were and so every party the two families had, it was either in Littleroot or Petalburg with a big barbeque held in the summer. Okay, every summer.

Though, when Brendan first caught word of this, he thought it was pretty odd. He could have sworn the girl was scared stiff of Pokémon, so he didn't really understand why she wanted one from his father. Eh, oh well. It was none of _his_ business after all, right?

The tanned, brown-haired boy zipped up his jacket and grabbed his favorite hat from a hook on the closet door. He heard a familiar voice coming nearer as footsteps bounded up the stairs. "Hey, brother! You better be up! I'm gonna eat all your breakfast!" That was the cry of his younger sister, Robin, who came bursting into his room with no sense of personal space, her cute pigtails bobbing on the sides of her head like a Meditite.

"Robin…" Brendan half turned to her as she marched up to him, too energetic for a kid her age this early in the morning. He sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't just come up in my room like that!"

Robin didn't seem to be listening to him, though. She was focused on something else. "Dad's gonna give you a Pokémon today, right? Know who you're gonna choose yet?" She kept asking inquisitively before puffing out her chest proudly, bragging. "I already know who I'd pick! Torchic's the best of them all! It's so cute and fluffy!"

Brendan poked his sister lightly, a playful smirk popping up on his face. "Well, you're not old enough yet. Sorry, kiddo."

Robin smacked his hand away and pouted, for all of three seconds. "Don't call me 'kiddo'!" She then followed as he headed to go downstairs. "So, are you going to go straight to Dad's lab, right now?"

Brendan shook his head simply, giving the girl a quick smile. "Nah, it's still early. I was going to try and find some Pokémon first to show Dad before heading over there."

The little girl was quiet for a moment or two, before looking back up. "I still don't get it. You already have Tipsy, so why get one from Dad? You're the best at catching Pokémon in the whole world!" She exploded her arms upward to over-emphasize her exaggeration.

Brendan couldn't help but feel good with the small praise from his sister. He looked down to a shiny red PokéBall in his hand. As much as he thought Seedot was pretty cool, Tipsy had always been a hard Pokémon for him to control – she would often turn away and ignore him or just plain Snore at him whenever he tried to battle. It was frustrating. The worst part of all? Around his family, especially Robin, she would pull this sweet façade as if she was the most obedient Pokémon of all. It wore him out. So, he was planning on going out to catch something, anything else, and maybe give Tipsy to Robin as, oh, maybe a birthday gift? She'd like that, right? Two Taillow in one catch, as the saying goes.

"Hey –" Brendan paused halfway down the stairs. He turned back to Robin, who stopped right behind him. "Weren't you and your friend going someplace today? Uh, Max, right?"

Robin continued on past him, heading into the kitchen where their mother was already fixing up breakfast. It smelled delicious! "Mom and Ms. Caroline are taking us to see a Pokémon Baccer game in Mauville today! I like the Hoenn Lightning team, but Max says sports are lame!" She huffed again.

Brendan couldn't help but laugh at his sister's comment.

Brendan wandered through Route 101 aimlessly. He wasn't really looking for anything in particular, but he didn't know what he wanted to try and catch to replace Tipsy. He also didn't want to travel _too_ far from home, since he still had to meet with his dad later.

He then caught a glimpse of a small Zigzagoon snacking on an Oran berry it had found. He stopped in his tracks. _Well, it's a normal type. It'd be well-balanced to start off with…_ He pondered, his arms crossing in deep concentration.

The Zigzagoon's nose twitched and it started to look in his direction. The boy snapped out of his thoughts just before it could take full notice of him to run away, and he swiftly called out the stubborn Seedot. "Let's go, Tipsy!"

The Ball released the acorn Pokémon fast enough that she landed on her feet and spun into a sort of swirling Tackle into Zigzagoon, knocking it both off its feet and off-guard. The small fluffy-furred Pokémon smacked up against a tree, and the berry it was eating left by itself.

Brendan had a glimmer of hope; he couldn't believe Tipsy had listened to him for once. And then he face-palmed, cursing his own rotten luck...

As he was just about to command it use another move, to weaken Zigzagoon a little bit more, Tipsy was no longer listening. She had noticed half of the berry still lying in the grass and gobbled it up, without taking any notice of her Trainer or the Zigzagoon.

"Tipsy, listen to me…!" Brendan was practically on his hands and knees, begging. "Help me catch this Zigzagoon! Use Leech Seed, please!"

Tipsy finally looked back to her Trainer briefly, turned from him to the Zigzagoon and then back, sat down… and then fell asleep, Snoring a small soundwave in his face.

In this time, the wild Zigzagoon had the time to get back up and run off into the safety of a clump of bushes. Brendan sighed, recalling Tipsy and hanging his head in defeat. "You're hopeless…"

He glanced at his watch.

Back at his father's lab, Brendan was ready to get his official starter Pokémon. Sure, things didn't quite go as planned in Route 101 as he had hoped, but he would still get to leave Littleroot with either Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip, so it wasn't all bad. Well, kind of. Apparently, while he was in the woods failing miserably to catch that Zigzagoon, that was when May had arrived and took the Torchic. Eh, he probably wasn't going to choose it anyway, but it still left him with one less of a choice.

His father, Professor Birch himself, had since released the remaining two starters so that he could get a good look at them. He essentially traded his Dad Tipsy for the Mudkip. "Hey there, buddy!" He picked the water type up with a friendly smile.

Mudkip wagged its tail with a similar enthusiasm, having been picked. It doused him in a gentle Water Gun, dislodging his hat slightly.

Brendan laughed along with it.


	2. Seedot

**Edit 22.07.2016: Note: The events of this chapter take place somewhere around the second episode of the Ruby and Sapphire series, probably shortly after.**

 **-Seedot-**

Brendan was excited. He was currently on Route 102, the place where he originally caught Tipsy. After having received his Mudkip, "Splash," from his father just a few days ago, he was saving his first official 'catch' as a Trainer for another Seedot. He couldn't help it, he had always thought Seedot looked like a cool Pokémon – and its evolutions only get better. Shiftry is a freakin' ninja, after all – who wouldn't want one?

And hopefully, whatever he caught would _NOT_ be similar to Tipsy. One that would actually work with him.

He had just checked his PokéNav; he was certainly glad to have installed the new DexNav feature. He had a feeling it would come in handy a lot. The DexNav spotted something not far. Brendan checked the data real quick before running off to look for the subject.

Sure enough, it was a Seedot. With Bullet Seed. That would come in handy.

He looked around nervously, not wanting to miss his chance at the find. On a Seedot, Bullet Seed was a pretty hard move to teach it, so with it coming pre-packaged, he didn't want any Absol raining on his parade today.

He found a large leafy branch that he could wield easily and broke it off its stem. He used it as a kind of camouflage, to creep closer to the Seedot, who was calmly basking in the sun. "Here Seedot, Seedot…" He whispered to himself, trying to contain his excitement.

The Seedot still hadn't noticed the boy yet.

"Alright, Splash, use Water Gun to wake it up!" Brendan called out his Mudkip, still keeping a low voice so he wouldn't scare it.

The Mudkip came out of the Ball, readily sprinting through the short grass and blowing a gush of water into the Seedot. The grass type was rolled out of the sunlight, spinning like a top dizzily before landing on its feet. It surveyed its quests curiously.

"Yes! Good!" Brendan praised his water type. "Now – Tackle it!"

Mudkip nodded, charging forward determinedly. The Seedot blinked, and then hopped backward to dodge it, and this repeated a few more times.

Seedot's body began to glow with a faint green energy, as it collected it, and then shot it towards Mudkip in a small sphere that resembled a seed.

Brendan panicked for a second. He knew it would be super-effective if it hit. "Mudkip, dodge it!"

Mudkip responded with a quick nod before jumping to the side as the small ball of energy whizzed past and fizzled out. Seedot turned its body slightly to aim, and fired another one. Mudkip again dodged. It happened again with the same results. Just as Seedot launch a fourth bullet of green energy, and Mudkip prepared to dodge it once more, the little Mud Fish Pokémon tripped over a small pebble and crashed into the ground face-first.

"Splash!" Brendan called for his Pokémon worriedly, unable to make it to his Pokémon's side before it was smacked with a bullet of energy.

A fifth caused the Mudkip to slide against the dirt, kicking up a small dust trail. Brendan stopped it from sliding any further, kneeling to tend to it. "You okay, Splash?"

The water type had obviously taken a major blow; it was covered in bruises, and wincing from its Trainer's touch. After a few seconds to catch its breath, Mudkip struggled to its feet, shaking off the pain determinedly.

Brendan could tell that although his Mudkip was willing to fight more, it probably wouldn't be able to withstand even one more hit from Bullet Seed. His eyes lifted back up to the Seedot, pondering his next move. Should he run, and take Mudkip to the nearest Pokémon Center, or should he risk dealing one more blow to the Seedot?

Mudkip growled confidently, nodding, a fire burning in its eyes. Brendan noticed and agreed. "Alright, then Tackle it once more! That should do it!" He pointed towards the wild Seedot, readying one of his Repeat Balls he had stocked up on for just the occasion.

The water type sprinted forward again, wincing once and wobbled a few times, as it set its sight on the grass type. Seedot surveyed its opponent with a quiet curiosity, before jumping back again out of reach. But it hadn't calculated the distance and tripped over its own feet, leaving it wide open for Mudkip.

Seedot rolled a short distance from the hit, landing face-down on the ground. Its foot twitched.

Brendan snapped his fingers in triumph. "Yes! Time to join my team, Seedot!" He threw the Repeat Ball at the Seedot, and waited as if he was on pins and needles for the Ball to click shut.

One…

Two…

Three…

It was still.


	3. Aron

**Edit 22.07.2016: Note: This chapter's events take place approximately around the same time as the twentieth through the twenty-second episodes of the Ruby and Sapphire series of the anime.**

 **-Aron-**

The Ball clicked and stilled.

After retrieving it, Brendan took out his Pokédex to check it once more. "That's Geodude. How are you two holding up?" He glanced at his two companions with a smile; Splash and Ivy, whom had since evolved into a Nuzleaf, each emanated a ray of confidence. And in good measure, after all they had helped their Trainer earn two badges thus far.

Now, Brendan and his Pokémon were doing a bit of catching and training against the wild Pokémon in Dewford cave. He had just recently caught a Makuhita and a Geodude. When he was done for the day, he was planning on sending his new Pokémon back to his father's lab. So far, his main team consisted only of Splash and Ivy.

Brendan wandered around the dimly lit cave. He had to admit, it was a perfect habitat for all kinds of nocturnal Pokémon, but he was glad for the light sources nonetheless – small lanterns strung up by miners and explorers along the rocky walls. It did give the cave a slight sense of eeriness, though…

As the boy and his two Pokémon were just coming around a bend in the cave, he noticed something up ahead. There was a small steel type Pokémon munching on some loose rocks at the base of a steep slope.

Brendan was too absorbed in the Pokémon to notice where he was going, and suddenly lost his footing. His Pokémon panicked as they tried to safely catch up to him.

 _Splat!_

In a whir of browns and grays, Brendan felt his face slam right up against the solid rock wall in front of the wild Pokémon, but not before tripping over said Pokémon with his foot. He was going to feel that for a month. Mudkip and Nuzleaf tumbled behind him, each in turn smacking into the now-disturbed steel type and then falling in different directions.

"Heh, heh… Sorry about that, Aron…" Brendan rubbed his head, smiling sheepishly at the little Pokémon, whom was sending a rather upset glare at its three intruders.

It looked as if it was accusing them, gave a small roar, and began digging its foreleg into the ground. Brendan held his arms up, backing away slowly. "We really didn't mean anything by it, little guy!"

The Aron charged at its nearest target, slamming into Mudkip with its armored body powerfully, sending the little water type sprawling across the rocky floor of the cavern. "Splash!" Brendan called his starter, and then turned to Nuzleaf when Aron changed direction as well, "Alright, buddy! Use Razor Leaf to stop it!"

Nuzleaf nodded, sharpening the leaf on its head, and then swinging it like a knife down onto the Aron when it got too close. It seemed to do decent damage.

However, when Brendan took a closer look, the Aron had apparently used a last-minute Harden to raise its defense. "Dang it! That's a fast-thinking Pokémon…" He muttered to himself as Aron's boosted armor faded, and it huffed, annoyed.

Aron began to charge at Nuzleaf.

Brendan turned, "Splash, Mud-Slap!" The Mudkip shot out a forceful jet of water aimed at the ground in front of Aron, loosening the rocky soil and splashing up in the wild Pokémon's face.

Aron abruptly halted its assault, closing its eyes and trying to shake the mud from its face. In the process, it was doing a sort of reckless flailing about, charging in all directions. Nuzleaf jumped out of the way quickly, while Mudkip was ordered to aim a Water Gun at the ground again. This time, it slickened up the ground and caused Aron to lose its footing and fall flat on its face.

"Ivy, Razor Leaf again! Splash, Water Gun!" Brendan commanded both of his Pokémon flawlessly, determined to calm the upset Pokémon down.

Though, it was kind of his fault…

Nuzleaf sharpened its leaf again, and swung it through the air, landing an attack on the Aron's back. Mudkip came up from the front, in the same instance, and shot a jet of water in Aron's face.

Thinking of no other way to calm it down, Brendan shuffled through his bag, and brought out a Luxury Ball that his mom had sent him in a care-package back when he was in Rustboro. He figured now was as good a time as any, and maybe the extra comfort of this particular Ball would allow Aron to forgive him easier.

Standing up, Brendan threw the Luxury Ball at the downed steel type, as Nuzleaf and Mudkip stood around it and watched patiently. The Ball landed and shook multiple times, showing that Aron was not wanting to give in to it without a fight.

Finally, it stopped.

But before Brendan and his Pokémon could celebrate, someone else picked up the quiet Ball. It was a young man with silvery gray hair dressed in an expensive suit. He had a serious expression plastered on his face.

"Uh…" Brendan stumbled awkwardly for words, as his Pokémon ran to his sides.

"I would say that was a spectacular capture, but it was a bit one-sided on your part, right?" The man studied Brendan sternly.

Brendan rubbed the back of his head; trying to laugh off the situation. He felt extremely awkward; this guy had a presence that felt like a demanding older brother. "Oh, yeah… Sorry… Heh, heh… Who are you?" He added bluntly.

"My name is Steven Stone," the man held out the Ball as if he was going to release the Aron.

 _Steven Stone? I know I've heard that name before… Steven Stone… Stone… Stone? Is he the son of the Devon Corporation president!?_ Brendan was panicking internally now. He was being chastised by the son of a billionaire!

Then he remembered about the Aron. "A-Are you going to release it?" He asked frantically, referring pointedly to the Ball in Steven's hand.

Steven nodded slightly. "I should, unless you can give me a good explanation for all this." He cocked an eyebrow, looking expectantly at Brendan.

"I-I thought it would help. Luxury Balls make a Pokémon friendlier, right? So, I thought it would help it forgive me. I didn't mean to upset it!"

Steven seemed to study Brendan for a minute or two. Finally, he let up and gave a kind smile. "Sorry, I just have a fondness for Steel-type Pokémon. I'm going to trust your reason, but if we are ever fated to meet again, I hope my instinct will not be wrong…"

Brendan jumped at that. "Uh, you can count on me, sir!" He received the Ball from Steven. And then, he suddenly felt a fiery surge of determination in his gut. "You can count on me! I promise you – the next we meet –" he pointed the Luxury Ball at Steven, "I'll beat you in a battle with this very Aron! That's how much we'll trust each other!"

Steven felt like he could trust the kid. He nodded. "Alright then," he dug something out of his pocket after shooting a glance to the boy's Nuzleaf. "Then, I think you should have this. When the time comes, I would be willing to accept a full 6-on-6 battle with you. I think you'll know the right time to use it."


	4. Rhyhorn

**Edit 22.07.2016: Note: In this, I am treating Brendan's Aggron as not having yet fully evolved by the time it cameos in Jirachi: Wishmaker. The events of this chapter take place shortly before the episodes where Ash and friends reach Lilycove City, as well as before the Rayquaza/Deoxys movie.**

 **Note 2: In this, I believe Brendan's Lairon would finally evolve into Aggron at least by the time of the Hoenn League tournament episodes, if not sometime while Ash and friends were in the Battle Frontier half-series.**

 **-Rhyhorn-**

The past few days, Brendan had been excited. He was getting closer and closer to the Safari Zone, a place Trainer's like because of it typically having Pokémon rarer in other parts of the region. Naturally, he was looking forward to a bit of catching some new Pokémon to fill his own Pokédex.

Ever since his time at the Mauville Battle Tower where he entered his first Battle Tower, he was itching to find a new Pokémon to add to his main team. That was a few Gym Badges ago, but every Pokémon he caught since then he always decided that it didn't seem to fit with his team.

Suddenly, the memories of those battles stung the forefront of his mind and he was caught up in a whirlwind of mixed feelings. He remembered clearly how his Shiftry and Lairon had worked great in the Double Battle format, but he still only got about halfway through the tournament. He had been bummed for a solid week after that until a suggestion from his father had brought him back to his senses and get back on the road to trying his best as a Trainer. The boy's learned a lot since then.

And in that time, his team has really improved their teamwork and strength. That was his philosophy. He wanted a well-balanced team that could handle all Battle formats.

He knew there was another Battle Tower in Larousse City, a little north of Lilycove. That meant, that the Safari Zone was the last major place to really adjust his team. He really wanted something new.

His team currently consisted of Swampert, Shifty, and Lairon… What kind of Pokémon should he add?

Brendan stood in front of the gate to the Safari Zone. Taking a deep breath, he walked through the doors and payed for a ticket into the safari at the desk in the back.

The boy noticed a number of Pokémon that he had yet to see in his home region; Pokémon like Xatu, Buneary, and Psyduck. He ended up catching a Heracross with the help of Swampert, and Lairon challenged a Donphan to a duel; though briefly considering the Donphan, both Pokémon ended up back at his father's lab.

At that moment, he was interrupted from his adventure by the sound of the ground rumbling. It took him a minute or two to realize that he was standing in the line of fire, and jumped out of the way just barely missing getting trampled by a stampeding Rhyhorn.

As Brendan was sprawled on his stomach in the thick grass, he quietly observed the tank-y Pokémon from the ground, only his breath making a sound. He sighed heavily, before digging out his Pokédex to gather more information on the Rhyhorn. "I was almost Rhyhorn meat…" He muttered, exasperated and a little annoyed.

Just as he finished reading the Pokédex, he had to reposition himself on his knees because the grass was starting to tickle his nose. He sure didn't want his allergies acting up now…

"Alright, here goes…" In one swift movement, he stood and called out his Lairon. "You ready, Mint?"

His Lairon appeared from its PokéBall, raring to go, ruffing up the grass and dirt with a foreleg. The Rhyhorn heard the steel type snort eagerly, and turned its attention to it. The two bulky Pokémon rammed into each other with all their might, before Brendan could even give Lairon an order.

"Hey, Mint? You can't go charging off on your own! Now, come back and use Ice Beam!" Brendan tried to rein his spirited Pokémon in before the two could charge again.

Lairon listened to its Trainer, turning around only mildly annoyed, and returned to him. Before the Pokémon had the chance to face the Rhyhorn again, though, a ripping of earth tore the ground up and smashed against the back of Lairon, sending it off balance and right into Brendan. The force of his steel type's armor against him so roughly nearly caused his lights to get knocked out. "Ow…" He muttered, rubbing his face, the other hand placed on Lairon's nose. "Sorry, Mint… Guess I didn't think that one through all the way…"

Lairon looked a little apologetic, and then pushed itself back up before the Rhyhorn could attack again. "Alright, this time we have it! Use Ice Beam, now!" Brendan pointed ahead with a fiery determination.

Lairon snorted a breath of air and then released a beam of icy energy on the Rhyhorn. The rock-plated Pokémon did not take kindly to the cold. It charged forward again.

"Wait for it and use Iron Defense on my cue, Mint!" Brendan called out.

The steel type studied its Trainer's words for a quick second and then braced itself for the Rhyhorn's attack. Just as Rhyhorn got close, reared up, and slammed its forelegs down onto Lairon, Lairon's body stiffened like a hard shell. But the Rhyhorn wasn't done. It slammed its feet down onto Lairon's body repeatedly, probably thinking that the armor had to give eventually.

Finally, when Lairon's body started to push backward ever so slightly from the force, the extra armor fizzled out and Lairon flinched back slightly.

"Now, Mint! Grab onto Rhyhorn's leg and use Ice Beam!" Brendan called, running a little closer to his Pokémon.

As the Rhyhorn was starting to land flat on the ground once more, Lairon grabbed its leg from its jaws. A condensed blue energy caught in Lairon's mouth, unable to escape, and flash-froze the ground type's leg.

When Rhyhorn landed on its feet, its frozen leg slipped immediately underneath it and it crashed awkwardly under its own weight.

"Alright! Good job, Mint! Now, Take Down!" Brendan studied the Rhyhorn carefully before deciding his next move.

A concentration of power condensed around Lairon tightly, and the Pokémon charged forward again. The Rhyhorn was still down, its eyes flinching. With all its might, Lairon rocketed against Rhyhorn, managing to push it back a bit.

Lairon managed to get another solid ram into the Rhyhorn before the ground type got to its feet. The two Pokémon met again in the middle of the field in a mighty clash, trying to push the other back. The Rhyhorn was noticeably starting to show signs of weariness, still having one of its legs frozen. When the Rhyhorn started to pant and huff from its handicap, Brendan decided that was the right moment.

He pulled out a PokéBall and tossed it. It surprised the Rhyhorn when the Ball pinged it on the head and absorbed it.

The Ball shook two distinct times, and then broke open. The Rhyhorn was revealed again, slightly disorientated, but soon enough regained its senses. The ice on its leg was gone, unfortunately.

"Darn it…" Brendan breathed through clenched teeth. He signaled his Lairon again, "Mint, charge it once more!"

The two bulky armored Pokémon clashed again, head on. Gritting his teeth, Brendan threw a second PokéBall at the Rhyhorn.

One…

Again, the Ball snapped open again, and the Rhyhorn was released for the second time. The wild Pokémon was starting to huff and pant hard, quickly growing exhausted from the repeated ramming with Lairon, as well as trying to force itself out of the Ball.

The two armored Pokémon met head-to-head again. Lairon was starting to push Rhyhorn into a corner.

A third PokéBall flew at Rhyhorn. It trapped it inside the small capsule, but after three shakes, it managed to break out yet again.

The Rhyhorn appeared from the energy beam, but for a few long moments just stood across from Lairon, its sides heaving greatly, blinking occasionally. The two Pokémon stubbornly eyed each other. Rhyhorn gritted its jaw, seeming ready to endure another attack, as Lairon lifted up its head and began to charge up another icy beam.

Just as the cold energy was loosed from Lairon's mouth, Brendan flung yet another PokéBall towards the Rhyhorn. In that second, Rhyhorn slowly lifted its head to stare at the Ball, as if going to head-butt it away, but the Pokémon disappeared as soon as the Ball opened for the fourth time.

One…

Two…

Three…

The Ball slowed its rocking, knocked from side to side, and then clicked.

A slow smile spread across Brendan's face as he finally ran up to collect the PokéBall, letting out a deep sigh of relief. He cheered with Lairon over his newest team member. Now, he felt he had what he needed to attempt the Battle Tower.

He was sure he was ready.

 **That's the end. Hope everyone liked. R &R**


End file.
